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Mormon mission helped prepare BYU QB Mangum to take over

In this week's episode, Detroit Free Press writers Mark Snyder and Shawn Windsor try to figure out just how good Michigan really is three games into the Jim Harbaugh era. Be sure to subscribe to this weekly podcast in iTunes!

Tanner Mangum spent the past two years in Chile on a Mormon mission. He didn’t expect to play much. But he has thrown 644 yards, including two Hail Marys that led to wins, since Taysom Hill was injured in the opener.(Photo: Danny Moloshok/Associated Press)

At 10 years old, Tanner Mangum already knew where his life was headed.

"When my oldest brother went on a mission, I saw him do it, and I always looked up to him," Mangum, now BYU's starting quarterback, said this week. "I set that goal for myself, that when the time came, I was going to serve."

The mission Mangum referenced was nowhere near the military or a sports team.

As a Mormon, his mission would be to help spread his faith.

It all made sense at 10.

As he grew up and became the nation's No. 3 pro-style quarterback in the 2012 class — a four-star recruit from Eagle, Idaho — he could have changed his path. A quicker run through college football could have led to pro football quicker, whereas a mission would only delay it.

For Mangum, who will lead the Cougars against Michigan on Saturday at Michigan Stadium, there was no hesitation.

"It was all aligned with the plan, all throughout recruiting, all throughout the decision process. I knew that I was going to do a year at school and then go on my mission," said Mangum, now a 22-year-old with freshman eligibility. "I wasn't surprised. I knew it was the right decision for me, so when the time came, I followed through with that plan."

According to Rivals, Mangum had scholarship offers from Arkansas, Boise State, Oregon State and Utah. But once Mangum arrived in Provo, Utah, he knew it fit him well, even sitting out his first year.

He submitted his application for the mission and was sent to Antofagasta, Chile, a port city in the northern region of the country, where every day was spent sharing his religion.

He would exercise for 30 minutes in the morning, study for the day, read the scriptures and prepare the message for that day. With the others in his group, he would try to invite people to church. If people weren't interested, they would serve in other ways by, he said, "helping people, serving people, forgetting about ourselves."

After two years, he returned to the Cougars to readjust to football life. He understood he was the backup to redshirt junior Taysom Hill this season. But the coaches and his teammates helped him quickly get the "mental side of it back, the mental edge."

Hill had topped 4,000 passing yards and 2,000 rushing yards in his career. Mangum had no expectation to play much, let alone start. But after Hill's opening-game foot injury, the acclimation period ended three quarters into the first game of the season.

"I felt I could do my best to keep things going," Mangum said.

He entered against Nebraska that day and led a field-goal drive to cut the Cougars' deficit to 28-27. He went three-and-out on the next drive. Then, on the last drive, "it" happened.

On the last play of the game, Mangum threw a 42-yard bomb to the end zone that Mitch Mathews caught for the game-winning score.

The next week at home against Boise State, Mangum rallied the Cougars again. Trailing by three with 45 seconds left, he hit Mitchell Juergens with a 35-yard strike for another improbable score and eventual win.

Two weeks, two Hail Marys — nothing too unusual for him. Mangum recalled a similar bomb in fifth grade to win a youth league game and a last-second game-winner at homecoming as a high school freshman.

Last weekend, he was "contained" by UCLA, yet still threw for 244 yards and a touchdown, though that game's late push ended with an interception. The Bruins held off the Cougars, 24-23.

"This freshman quarterback, he's been in situations where sometimes it takes years before you get in those situations," U-M coach Jim Harbaugh said on his radio show this week. "And he's been successful in them."

He has played in games at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, at home at LaVell Edwards Stadium and at the Rose Bowl. He has passed for 664 yards in about 21/4 games, so Michigan Stadium probably won't shake him much.

"The mission prepares you in many ways that you couldn't be prepared in any other way," Mangum said. "I was able learn many life lessons, to grow, to mature. It's helped me, just as a person. There were physical setbacks, but it's totally worth it."

Beat writer Mark Snyder will answer your questions about U-M in a live chat at 11 a.m. Thursday. Submit early questions here. Then come back Saturday for a live blog of the Michigan-BYU game And download our new Wolverines Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!